A Playboy's Dilemma
by Miya Azlikov
Summary: Natsume Hyuuga is the popular, most sought-after playboy at Alice Academy. He's used to getting things with a touch of a button. He's never had a girl reject him. So what happens when he's forced to tutor Mikan Sakura, a girl who completely despises him and is clearly not interested in him?
1. Tutoring

"Mikan, do you know what your grade is in this class?" Narumi said.

"Um...bad?" Mikan murmured, glancing at her most recent test, which had a huge red F.

"I think we need to get you a tutor," Narumi sighed.

"Of course," Mikan agreed reluctantly.

"I can ask Hotaru, if you want," Narumi exclaimed. "I know you're most comfortable with her. And she's extremely bright, too."

"No, no. Hotaru's too busy with her inventions. Is there someone else? Like Ana, or Nonoko?"

Narumi shook his head. "Those girls aren't doing much better than you, Mikan. And tell me, would you be able to focus with them?"

I sighed in defeat. "No."

"Well, I know just the right person." Narumi smiled darkly. "You know Natsume Hyuuga?"

My eyes widened. "No. Narumi, please don't do this to me! I won't be able to work with that conceited jerk! I'd do better with Ana and Nonoko."

"Perfect answer," Narumi said.

Mikan heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Narumi."

"Of course. You'll be in the library this afternoon, at four o' clock sharp. Nobody's in there after three, so both of you will have a quiet environment."

"Wait...then who's going to be my tutor?"

Narumi edged towards the door. "I already said, Natsume Hyuuga."

"But you just said—"

"I said _perfect answer. _What you said made me want him to tutor you more."

And with that, Narumi was out the door, leaving Mikan flabbergasted.

* * *

Narumi chuckled to himself. Somewhere deep inside, he felt a little guilty for letting Mikan have to deal with Natsume. He knew very well how much Mikan objected him. And that was the point. He needed Natsume to be with a person who wouldn't melt into jello under his presence, someone who would defy him.

Natsume was the most active playboy out there. He was cold to most people, rude, and arrogant. But he was also a lonely person. Ever since he was a child, he'd been neglected. His childhood was void of parental support and love. In some ways, Mikan was the same. She'd started with love from her parents, but when she was thirteen, both her parents died in a car accident. But being the cheerful, optimistic girl she was, she inched out of the darkness.

Narumi believed that Mikan could help Natsume do the same. Even though she hated Natsume now, Narumi felt that things would change once she saw through his cold facade.


	2. First Encounter - Natsume's Promise

I impatiently tapped my finger against the table, an eye on the clock. It was already four thirty, and the girl I was supposed to tutor was a no-show. I couldn't believe that Narumi had forced me to do this. The old man was probably just too lazy to do it himself!

My patience finally shattered, and I abruptly stood from my chair, getting ready to leave. Then something stopped me in my tracks.

"Aghh! What the hell, Narumi?" A voice shouted from the hallway.

I raised an eyebrow, and walked to the entrance of the library. And let me tell you, I was shocked at the sight in front of me.

Narumi was trying to drag a girl into the library. A girl who obviously didn't want to go inside. All her weight was going the other direction, she was thrashing around, and she was spilling oceans of tears in protest.

"I don't want to go inside!" The girl, whom I concluded as Mikan Sakura, wailed loudly. "You can't force me!"

"Actually, I can. Your parents put me in charge of you when they enrolled you at this boarding school," Narumi heaved, still trying to pull Mikan in.

"My parents are _dead. _Did they telepathically say you were in charge, from heaven or something?" Mikan retorted, pointing a finger upwards. I looked on curiously.

"Come on, Narumi, please. I really don't want to do this. I'll get Hotaru to tutor me. I'll pay her or something. It's better than…" She pointed at me, her expression sour. "_Him!"_

Narumi sighed. "I'll get the principal to increase your allowance, and I'll treat you to Howalons."

Mikan's mouth watered at the mention of Howalons, her favorite candy. "Narumi, you know I can't deny Howalons. That's so dirty!"

"Well, I can suspend your trips to Central Town and bribe the Howalon store to refuse to sell to you or your friends instead," Narumi threatened. Mikan's eyes bugged out and the thought. "Or you can quietly come inside, and Natsume will tutor you. He needs this just as much as you. Perhaps more."

Pfft. _I _need this? What could I possibly get out of tutoring a failing girl, who I barely even know? And seriously, who would give into something they opposed with just the bribe of Howalons?

Mikan was silent for a long five minutes. Finally, she gave in. "Fine."

My jaw dropped to the floor. _Seriously….? _

"Great!" Narumi smiled, aware of the death glare on Mikan's face. I smirked in interest. She didn't want to be tutored by me? Well, this was going to be fun. But she'd probably fall head over heels after the first session.

"See you tomorrow, Narumi," I said, taking a seat at the table. Narumi took it as a dismissal, and scurried out the door. He even took the initiative to lock the door from the outside, knowing that I had a spare key. Mikan didn't even notice, she was too busy glaring at me as she took a seat across the table.

"What do you want to do first?" I asked, smirking, gesturing at the different subject textbooks on the table.

"Punch," Mikan muttered.

"You're thirsty?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, jerk. I want to punch you first. Then _maybe _I can focus. But seeing as I'd probably get expelled, that's not an option."

I laughed, and gestured at my arm. "I give you permission."

She glared at me, and then took her small fist and drew it back. It looked like she was going to give me a huge bruise, but at the last minute, she pulled away, so I only felt a small bump.

Mikan bit her lip and turned back to the books, muttering something about "I'm not like him." I was wondering who "him" was when she pointed to the math textbook.

"Start with math. It's my worst subject."

"Wow, someone who wants to strengthen their weaknesses?"

"No. I just want to give you hell."

Two hours later, I felt like I was going to strangle the girl next to me. At first, she sprinted for the door and spent ten minutes banging against it. But then she admitted defeat and started doing the workbooks…_all wrong. _She just _didn't _get _anything_, and I knew she was actually trying now because she seemed equally frustrated.

"Wait, so…what formula do I use here?" Mikan asked, scratching her head with her pencil.

That's when I collapsed my face into my hands. When I looked up, my eyes were murderous, but the girl barely even flinched. "I. Just. Explained. This. To. You. Thirty. Seconds. Ago."

She looked at me innocently. "Yeah, I only remember things that don't have to do with math. It's a kinda weird habit."

"Kinda? You're the stupidest, cow-brained person that I've ever met!" I shouted.

I expected an angry retort. But to my surprise, she just waved it off, not the least bit interested. "Yeah, yeah. So what's the formula?"

"Do you know who I am?" I finally asked.

"Hmm? You're the arrogant jerk that struts around school like he owns everything…the infamous playboy of Alice Academy…somehow friends with _my_ best friend, Hotaru, despite the fact that she's a million times better than you…" Mikan said, ticking off her fingers as she went. "That about sums it up."

"No, you forgot the part where I'm the school's best soccer player. And the part where I'm a popular model, and always score first on exams."

"Hotaru beat you on the last test," Mikan negated.

"Uh…no. Everyone knows that she bribed the teacher for answers. I wonder why she didn't give any to you. Probably cause she knew you'd be a giveaway."

The girl stood up abruptly and glared at me. "Hotaru does not cheat."

"Oh, really?" I mocked. I actually knew that Hotaru didn't cheat. I mean, she's my distant cousin and everything, and I know her pretty well, even though she hides that fact at school. Obviously, her best friend doesn't even know it. But I just wanted to see that girl's reaction. "I don't know about that—"

And then I felt her slap me across the face. So much for reaction; damn, she responded with freaking _action! _"Don't talk about Hotaru like that. Aren't you her friend?"

I caressed my cheek in shock. It didn't hurt that much, but just the fact that she had the nerve to slap me was a shock. All the other girls, excluding Hotaru, would cry if I accidentally scratched my cheek or anything.

We both looked at the door as we heard it being unlocked from the outside. Mikan immediately took advantage of it, scooped up her books, and headed for the door.

I grabbed her wrist, and she squirmed underneath my grip. "What now, Hyuuga?"

"You're going to fall for me soon," I said in a husky voice.

"In your dreams." She looked…completely amused? Unbelieving?

"It'll happen."

"And you know, because?" Mikan prompted, tossing back her beautiful hair with one hand.

"Because this time," I leaned closer to her to whisper in her ear. "This time, I'm going to be _trying_."


	3. He's Transferring!

**Hi All,**

**Thanks for reading this. I'm really glad to see that some of you like it. I know all the chapters are pretty short, but I'm really busy so I'm already staying up until 2 am to write this for you guys. Being a competitive tennis player, I have to train five hours a day and it's really tough! I love writing though, so I hope everyone enjoys this next short chapter. And I'll try to update as soon as possible, when the academy lets me back onto the internet. (Yeah, they turn off the Wifi sometimes because they know people like me stay up past bedtime, which is eleven pm.)**

**Thanks,**

**Miya Azlikov**

* * *

I walked into first period and sat in the back row, behind Hotaru. She looked up at me from her thick notepad of invention sketches, her face void of any emotion whatsoever.

"Morning," I greeted enthusiastically. I nodded at her sketches. "Who hired you this time?"

"Hyuuga Enterprise," Hotaru said blankly. My face immediately turned sour at the thought of that good for nothing jerk.

"I don't understand how you can tolerate him. One glance at his face and I feel like convulsing!"

"His parents are extremely nice, and his sister isn't that bad. Besides, I work with his parents. And they pay me a lot of money," Hotaru shrugged. "They are also the ones who host the annual Crab Fest. It's a win-win situation."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course. They got you with the crabs."

"Anyways, I heard that Natsume is tutoring you?"

I huffed and replied: "Narumi forced me."

Hotaru shook her head, amusement in her eyes. "You do know that every other girl in this school would die to be tutored by him, right?"

I scoffed. "Well, they're all stupid. Especially Luna. I mean, seriously? Going so far as to make a fan club? The girl's nuts!"

"For once, you're right about something," Hotaru muttered under her breath. "Anyways, this is your least favorite classes, right?"

"Yeah….I mean, it's math. And with Jinno teaching? Please," I exclaimed sharply. A few seconds later, the bell rang and everyone took their seats and started settling down.

"Well," Hotaru answered, a hint of mischief laced in her voice. "It's going to get a lot more interesting." And with that, she turned towards the board.

We were all confused, as Jinno didn't start the day off with his usual pop quizzes. Instead, he walked to the door and opened it wide. I took it as an opportunity to rest my head on my desk. Having to work two jobs after school, I missed out on a bunch of sleep, but how else was I supposed to pay the academy tuition? For me _and _Youichi, my younger brother. Luckily, we were both on seventy percent scholarship, but still. Alice Academy was quite the expensive boarding school.

I heard Jinno say: "Please welcome these two students into our class. Due to schedule changes, they'll now be in this class."

"New students" picked up my interest, and I lifted my head up to meet crimson eyes, which were definitely cast in my direction. Swear to God, I was so surprised that I _literally_ fell out of my chair. Hotaru gave a low chuckle, and I glared at the back of her head. I'm sure she felt my heated leer, but it didn't affect her at all.

"Natsume Hyuuga," Natsume said, hands loosely in his pockets. I'm pretty sure all the girls around me sighed in admiration and (of course) Luna fainted.

"Ruka Nogi." The second one, who was the same height as Natsume, greeted. He had blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes, which shone like the ocean. Again, cue the ridiculous reaction from the girls.

I only rolled my eyes and put down my head, hoping everything would pass over quickly.

"Ruka, sit next to Hotaru in the back," Jinno barked coldly. The blonde immediately nodded and sat next to Hotaru, who didn't move an inch, but only kept sketching.

My heart plummeted before Jinno even said anything, because I _knew _that the only desk left was the one beside me. So when Natsume appeared next to me, I only cursed under my breath and yanked my bag off the seat for him and turned away towards the window.

I raised my hand. "Jinno, can I switch seats with someone? I'm sure someone would be willing, right?"

All the girls stood up, fighting each other like wild animals. Unfortunately, Jinno told us all to sit down and said no; that the next person to interrupt would be in his detention. Which was worse than hell - trust me.

I took a very deep breath, hoping to calm myself. But I was fuming in anger. Why did the scumbag transfer? On purpose to annoy me? I was going to _strangle _him within the next few minutes if he and his testosterone didn't go somewhere far, far away...

He sat down next to me, and I visibly tensed. I told myself that I would be mature and calm. But when he teasingly twirled a strand of my hair with his finger, I lost all calmness and faced him with a glare. He was smirking until I brought up my foot and kneed him.

Right where it hurts.


End file.
